Setting milestones in multimedia and smartphone connectivity

What were the factors which influenced starting up AllGo Embedded Systems?

After a nearly decade-long career at Motorola Global Software Group, I wanted to try something different. With Motorola’s spin-o?, Freescale Semiconductors, there was an opportunity for me and some of my colleagues at Motorola to form a separate company and provide technology development on contract to Freescale. We took the opportunity and started AllGo in 2005.

What were the business activities in early days at AllGo Embedded and since when did automotive infotainment systems come into the focus?

We started working on car audio software right from Day 1. We were doing USB playback and iPod back then. After the first 2-3 years, we branched out to consumer multimedia solutions such as home audio systems, video decoders, and home automation systems. But then the tide turned heavily in favour of automotive infotainment over the last 4-5 years and there has been no looking back. Now we are among the top two independent multimedia and smartphone connectivity software suppliers in the world serving a worldwide market.

What are your views about alliances like Genivi, TIDesign Network etc.? Would you recommend start-ups to join them?

Alliances help us connect with customers and partners. They help understand the industry and get plugged into the latest happenings. Many of the alliances also have demo showcases where we exhibit our solutions. These help us with new business developments. Yes, start-ups and smaller companies can especially benefit out of alliances as part of their marketing plan, especially in B2B businesses.

Would you like to share about your products in automotive infotainment? Do you see mobile phones making an impact on such products?

Our products essentially span multimedia and smartphone connectivity. Our Multimedia Engine called RACE, can play, not only local media from a USB/iPhone/Android phone etc. but also connect to streaming services. We have optimized the media engine to specific needs of the automotive market.

Our smartphone connectivity solutions o?er CarPlay, Android Auto, and MirrorLink based connectivity. We remain at the forefront of these new technologies as they evolve and have ready solutions that cut down the time to market for our automotive customers.

Mobile phones have started having a huge impact on the automotive industry. A new class of car infotainment systems which achieve all their media and navigation functionality through mobile connectivity are springing up. These help push advanced infotainment capabilities into lower end systems and expand market volume.

How do you see automotive infotainment in commercial and passenger vehicles in India?

In the passenger segment, India is driving the low-cost availability of infotainment in A and B segment cars. With the advent of mobile phone connectivity based applications, services such as Google Maps will push integrated navigation to a more mainstream adoption in India. In the commercial vehicles segment too, navigation and vehicle tracking are key applications that are driving the market.

Would you like to comment on the ADAS? How do you see the horizon of ADAS features 7-10 years from now?

Some of the ADAS features such as lane departure warning, bird’s eye view, and traffic sign detection are already being deployed. ADAS is the first step towards getting to an autonomous vehicle. In 7-10 years from now, ADAS will likely become mainstream in vehicles and semi- autonomous vehicles too will be coming up with this technology.
From AllGo’s point of view, we are looking at in-car applications for ADAS. Features such as bird’s eye view and driver monitoring are our focus.

In post-merger with Visteon, how do you see the product and services reaching to major OEMs across the globe?

AllGo will retain its brand identity and legal structure even after the Visteon acquisition. We will continue to
serve our external customers including Tier1s and OEMs. As and when the market evolves, where the OEMs start to control software directly, we will work with the OEMs to supply software and support.

About Us

Telematics Wire is a niche media and market research firm in the domain of Vehicle Telematics. Since its launch back in 2011, it has emerged as a global player in the vast telematics community as a reliable source of information about the latest happenings in the automotive and transportation industry